Expats living in Bodrum

A foreign resident living in the popular Mediterranean resort town of Bodrum has launched efforts to bring together the expat community in the town. “I really know what it means to be on your own,” Susan Marechal said at the end of a long chat in the courtyard of a cafe in Bodrum, where she plans to hold the first introductory get-together for global internationals, or the more familiar term – expats, of Bodrum under the banner of the worldwide InterNations. Internations.org is an online community that “connects globally minded people” around the world wherever they live and work.

Susan discovered the InterNations Istanbul group when she came across an article in the Hürriyet Daily News that described the group’s activities and gave information on the venue of the next get-together in March 2009. “Why not?” she asked herself, and said to her daughter, “Let’s go along.” She went along and met, among others, the woman behind the start-up of the Istanbul branch, Gundula Strittmatter, and left pleased of having found such international organization.

English-born Marechal has lived in Bodrum, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Geneva, France and Crete (Greece), hence her words, “I really know what it means to be on your own.”

In earlier days in Istanbul she was on the committee of the International Women’s Club for nearly three years. In Geneva she went along to the very formal but very well organized International Club, which gave excellent introductory sessions for new arrivals. However, it was in Crete where she realized that after five years of living, she didn’t know anyone. With what seems to be characteristic energy, once she discovered an almost defunct association for expats, Marechal and a friend hosted coffee meeting session and from an encouraging turnout of people they revived the group, built up membership and organized activities such as hiking, sailing, lunches, nights out, presentations and cookery groups.

She has now returned to live in Bodrum where she spent the summers with her young children in the 1970s and 1980s. After living in so many new places and finding friends, information and a life wherever she was, she is ready to do it all again. Marechal now feels that down in southwestern Turkey the InterNations concept will also become a success.

“There is an obvious demand for a group of this caliber within the local international community,” she said. “This group is geared toward people who have either lived abroad or were born in other countries, or local people who enjoy meeting new people from all walks of life and in every occupation.”

Though the connections are made online, the emphasis is on being able to meet up personally and build up contacts and social relationships. She feels it can be for everyone. “If you are a long-time resident or just new on the scene, this is a new innovative group for anyone with a sense of trying to put down roots in a new environment. It is a group created with these people in mind with a new way of making friends, building business relationships, networking and attending social events at interesting places in a relaxed atmosphere. Members can begin a new hobby, enlarge their personal circle of acquaintances, find out firsthand about cultural events going on in the local area, the arts, concerts and activate their life with cross cultural connections.”

Marechal said participants can interact online through newsgroups forums and get reliable information and tips from other members about the immediate environment. “It’s about having fun and being able to exchange ideas with trusted people who have experienced living and working in other countries.”

Better still, for some of the very mobile Bodrum expats, the InterNations welcomes members anywhere in the world. Internations.org already exists in more than 230 cities worldwide with over 100,000 members. The group in Istanbul has grown to 2,500 members in just over two years. All branches have regular get-togethers where visiting members are welcome.

Marechal said Bodrum get-togethers will not be just in Bodrum town, but in the near future in other centers around the peninsula such as Yalıkavak, Turgutreis and Gündoğan, so everyone can get a chance to come out. Eventually she said she hopes to organize splinter groups for those interested in participating in other activities. Hiking groups, painting, photography, wine tasting, gourmet cooking, yoga, spiritual workshops, or other interests members would like to share with other members.

It is easy to join and the good news is that it is free. All you have to do is go to Internations.org and apply. For this event you can also apply for an invitation direct to Marechal at suzanmare@gmail.com. She asked, “Please be sure to tell all your friends and neighbors. As members online build up, groups can be started in other southern towns such as Marmaris, Fethiye and Antalya.”

Read more on Hurriyet Daily News to find about first meeting now.